WASHINGTON–The congressional firefight over a stop-gap funding bill for fiscal year 2012 has immediate implications for Connecticut’s ability to respond to Tropical Storm Irene. But it also puts in jeopardy a small victory that Democrats won in the debt-ceiling deal that Congress passed last month. And if that debt-deal win comes unraveled, it could have […]
Deirdre Shesgreen
Posted inMoney
CT and other House Dems join Tea Party conservatives to block spending bill
All five of Connecticut’s U.S. House members voted against a stop-gap funding bill for fiscal year 2012 on Wednesday that included billions of dollars in federal disaster aid. They were part of an odd alliance with Tea Party conservatives who helped defeat the legislation in a surprise rebuke to House GOP leaders. Rep. John Larson […]
Posted inNews
Shays, Lieberman engage in delicate political dance
WASHINGTON–At a Senate hearing on wartime contracting Wednesday, Sen. Joseph Lieberman and ex-Rep. Chris Shays mostly stuck to the dry subject at hand–squandered taxpayer dollars, poor government oversight, and sweeping abuses in military contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. But beneath the staid policy discourse, they were unspooling a juicier political thread. As ex-GOP congressman Shays […]
Posted inMoney
Blumenthal gets another shot at Google today
As attorney general, Richard Blumenthal didn’t get the chance to put top Google executives on the witness stand when he launched a multistate investigation into Google’s collection of data from personal wireless networks. But as senator, he’s now going to have a shot at grilling Google’s Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, who will be sitting at […]
Posted inNews
State physicians’ group leading the way on ‘bundled payments’
WASHINGTON–Dr. Courtland Lewis has been fielding a lot of anxiety-filled queries lately–not from his patients, but from other doctors. The Hartford-based orthopedic surgeon is suddenly one of the state’s go-to experts on federal efforts to revamp how doctors and hospitals are paid for the care they provide. That’s because Lewis and the knee-and-hip replacement surgeons […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Fight over disaster aid getting stormier
Rep. John Larson said he’ll cast a “no” vote today when House Republicans bring up a stop-gap funding measure to pay for disaster aid and keep the government running through the first weeks of fiscal year 2012. He and other Democrats are fuming that House Republicans have included a $1 billion cut in funding from […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Donovan in D.C., talks money and more
Chris Donovan said Wednesday that he expects his 5th District campaign to cost between $1 million and $2 million-and that’s just for the primary. So it’s no wonder he was in D.C. this week for a fundraiser, along with some other political meetings. Donovan wouldn’t say how much his D.C. event, closed to press, was […]
Posted inNews
With federal funds threatened, state looks for new ways to pay for transit
WASHINGTON–Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has asked his top transportation advisers to look at creative financing mechanisms, including setting up a state infrastructure bank, to fund critical highway and transit projects. The move comes as Malloy and other governors brace for an anticipated drop in federal transportation dollars. It also comes as Congress gears up for […]
Posted inMoney
Lieberman hails one gay-rights milestone, hedges on next battle
Sen. Joseph Lieberman and a half-dozen other lawmakers celebrated the official repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” today and promised to help discharged service members re-enlist if they want to. Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, said the end of DADT, which mandated the discharge of any openly homosexual member of the U.S. armed forces, was a […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Lieberman’s new book
Sen. Joseph Lieberman has a new book out-“The Gift of Rest,” an aptly titled tome for a longtime politician on the eve of his retirement from the Senate. But Lieberman’s book isn’t about stopping work, except for one day of the week. It’s a 230-page description and celebration of the Sabbath, even ending with a […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Himes’ aide happy to be back in DC after stint in New York special
Many House Democrats are wringing their hands, trying to figure out what went wrong in last Tuesday’s special congressional election in New York, where a little-known GOP candidate swept to victory in a heavily Democratic district. But while others are reading the tea leaves, Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th, will get the inside scoop. That’s because […]
Posted inNews
From different perspectives, two legislators react to debt plan
President Barack Obama today laid out a proposal to achieve $3 trillion in debt-reduction over the next decade, with a mix of tax reform, spending cuts, and entitlement program savings. The White House wants the congressional “super committee” to take up this proposals as part of its debt-reduction mandate, spelled out in this summer’s agreement […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Shays to be star witness at Lieberman hearing next week
Hmmm… Who could be the star witness for Sen. Joseph Lieberman’s just-announced hearing on wartime contracting? It’s a safe bet that ex-Rep. Chris Shays, who served as co-chair of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, would jump at the chance to be in the Senate next week, testifying before the senator he […]
Posted inNews
How much will state gain from Obama school construction plan?
WASHINGTON–Proponents of President Barack Obama’s $25 billion school construction plan have billed it as a doubly-good deal: American school kids would get spiffier schools and construction workers would get much-needed jobs. “Basic infrastructure is critically important to our economics and to our kids’ future,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a 3rd District Democrat who began drafting […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
DeLauro to tour storm damage, with Pelosi in tow
Is Rep. Rosa DeLauro still trying to undo the political damage from her belated return from Italy, where she was vacationing when Tropical Storm Irene hit Connecticut? Here’s one sign: the 3rd District Democrat is bringing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to her district Friday for a tour and briefing on the storm damage-along […]